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Executive Director's Report

Executive Director Steve Heminger's Report to the Commission Meeting of February 27, 2013

SUMMARY OF EVENTS

Governor Brown Proposes Funding Study

Sacramento, January 24

It was only one sentence in his annual “State of the State” speech, but Governor Jerry Brown stirred the hopes of the transportation community by announcing that he is directing his Transportation Secretary Brian Kelly “to review thoroughly our current priorities and explore long-term funding options.” We will keep you posted of developments in this funding review as they occur.

California Transportation Foundation Conference

Sacramento, January 29

I joined my counterparts from San Diego and Los Angeles in a panel discussion of our collective progress in complying with Senate Bill 375 (Steinberg). A copy of my presentation can be found atwww.mtc.ca.gov/meetings/presentations/ .

LaHood Announces Departure

Washington DC, January 29

As expected, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood has announced that he will not serve in that post for a second term. Recent speculation about his possible successor has centered around Deborah Hersman, who currently serves as chair of the National Transportation Safety Board.

National Congestion Rankings

College Station, TX, February 5

The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) released its annual rankings of the nation’s most congested urban areas, and the Bay Area tied for second with Los Angeles for the most yearly delay per auto commuter (61 hours). The honors for most congested region in 2012 went to Washington DC, with 67 hours of annual delay per commuter. In an interesting contrast, TTI also ranks regions according to a “travel time index” which is a ratio of the travel time during congested peak periods versus free-flow roadway conditions. According to this performance measure, LA ranks 1st (meaning the worst), but the Bay Area ranks only 23rd. This probably has something to do with the fact that quite a bit of our traffic congestion occurs on weekends and during non-peak hours.

Regional Transportation Forum

Tacoma, February 7

I joined two other Californians on a panel in Tacoma discussing how transportation policy in the Golden State compares to the State of Washington, especially the much stronger role played here by regional agencies such as MTC. The forum was co-sponsored by the University of Washington and the Puget Sound Regional Council.

Ferry Flap Sign Debuts

San Francisco, February 13

Commissioners Halsted and Mackenzie helped christen the retro “flap sign” announcing ferry departure times at the San Francisco Ferry Building. Designed to accent the historic architecture at the Ferry Building, the sign was specially fabricated in Italy by the only remaining flap sign maker in the world. Although this particular sign is pretty fancy, it is part of a comprehensive effort undertaken by MTC to improve traveler information and wayfaring at key transit hubs throughout the region. Kudos especially to our staffer Jay Stagi who has been a tireless champion of this program. [More info]

CTC Director to Retire

Sacramento, February 15

I very much regret to inform you that Bimla Rhinehart – executive director of the California Transportation Commission (CTC) and my colleague on the Toll Bridge Program Oversight Committee – has decided to retire from state service to deal with some personal health challenges. I have enjoyed working with Bimla immensely, and wish her and her family the very best.

State of the Union Address

Washington DC, February 18

President Obama repeated his call to invest $50 billion in infrastructure projects to stimulate the tepid national economy under a new brand-name: Fix it First. The President also called for increased private investment in roads, bridges, and airports; cutting red tape so that infrastructure projects could be completed in half the time; and resurrecting the taxable Build America Bond program with the catchy new title of America Fast Forward bonds. Congress has repeatedly rebuffed the President’s requests for new stimulus funding because of concerns that it would add to the federal deficit. With the “sequester” cuts due to kick in on March 1st and other budget fights looming, it is likely that the President’s latest proposal will meet the same fate.

State Legislative Visits

Sacramento, February 20

Rebecca Long and I made a quick round of visits with key members of the Bay Area’s senatorial delegation, including Senators Beall, DeSaulnier, Hancock, Hill and Leno. The purpose of the visits was to get an initial “lay of the land” for the 2013 session, and to advocate for the commission’s top priority of lowering the voter approval threshold for local special taxes to 55%.

Dumbarton Bridge Seismic Safety Event

Fremont, February 21

Commissioner Sartipi and I joined Congressman Eric Swalwell in speaking at an event last week commemorating the achievement of seismic safety and completion of major retrofit work on the Dumbarton Bridge. The project came in six months early and $20 million under budget. We have now met the seismic safety milestone on all the state-owned bridges in the Bay Area except for the eastern half of the biggest one. As you will discuss in your next meeting, we are slated to cross that finish line over Labor Day weekend this year. [More info]

Map of the Month

In 2008, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) created a Neighborhood Stabilization Program to provide emergency assistance to state and local governments to acquire and redevelop foreclosed properties that might otherwise become sources of abandonment and blight within their communities. This program provides grants to every state, certain local communities, and other organizations to purchase foreclosed or abandoned homes and to rehabilitate, resell, or redevelop these homes in order to stabilize neighborhoods and stem the decline of house values of neighboring homes. This map scores neighborhoods in the Bay Area on a scale of 1 to 20, where 20 indicates areas in the highest 20% of risk nationwide for home foreclosures and abandonment. A score of 1 indicates areas with lowest risk.

MTC Operational Statistics

The monthly report on the performance of MTC’s operating programs: